Politicians and jelly doughnuts mark Hanukkah in Israel

Weizman lights the menorah

December 23, 1997
Web posted at: 6:36 p.m. EST (2336 GMT)

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- An Israeli youth ran to the president's residence Tuesday and handed President Ezer Weizman a torch, which he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to light the first candle of Hanukkah.

The ceremony kicks off both the observance of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights and a celebration of Israel's 50th anniversary next May. The holiday was also marked by two attempts to get into the Guinness Book of Records. A 12-foot high pyramid composed of 6,400 jelly doughnuts was sponsored by a food store, and a 66 foot (20 meters) menorah made of metal pipes was erected by the orthodox Habad movement. The menorah, which Habad says is the tallest ever, will be lit each night using a crane.